UN – United Nations

What It Means to Be a Girl or Woman When Water Is Scarce | unfoundation.org A girl washes her hands in the new bathroom built with support from UNICEF at her primary school in the small village of Sintchan-Farba, Guinea Bissau. Photo: Prinsloo/UNICEF Water is a basic human right. Yet half the world experiences severe water scarcity for at least part of the year, according to a report from UN-Water. As climate change strains the […]

By Nancy Birdsall, Nancy Lee and Brian Webster In 2015 the nations of the world agreed at the United Nations on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be reached by 2030. The SDGs are the closest the world has come to a definable and measurable global social compact.  The SDGs do not constitute a legally binding contract; there are no penalties for commitment failures. But they do constitute a morally compelling global “compact” to which

Why the Rights of Future Generations Should Be Everyone’s Top Priority | unfoundation.org BlogYouthWhy the Rights of Future Generations Should Be Everyone’s Top Priority The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum is held annually at UN headquarters in New York. The Forum invites young people to contribute their ideas, insights, innovative solutions, and unique perspectives to policy discussions at the UN. Photo: Joel Sheakoski/UN Photo Inés Yábar and Prachi Shevgaonkar are leading the UN

Young People Across America Are Rallying Around the SDGs | unfoundation.org Young changemakers shared their insights at the American Leaders Advancing the SDGs event at UNGA 78, co-hosted by UN Foundation and the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution. Photo: UN Foundation/Carbon Stories Today’s youth face a stark choice: accept the status quo and inherit the chaos that comes with it, or forge a new fate by building a better future for all.

Leading by Example: Renewing the UN Foundation’s Commitment to Climate Action in its Operations | unfoundation.org The entrance to UN Foundation headquarters in Washington, D.C. The building is gold-certified in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Photo: JHVE Photo Since our founding more than 25 years ago, the United Nations Foundation has been leading on environmental sustainability – not just as part of our core programs but also in our own operations. Today, we continue

5 Things to Know About Climate Change and the Ocean | unfoundation.org A critically endangered species of sea turtle swims through a dome-shaped artificial reef nicknamed “the igloo” that is helping to reestablish coral nurseries in the Red Sea. This image won the UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition in 2023. Photo: Tom Shlesinger As greenhouse gases continue to be pumped into the atmosphere, our ocean is rapidly deteriorating. Yet when it comes to climate

By Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs; Secretary-General of the SIDS4 Conference This month, the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda will host the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) – a pivotal moment for the international community to join in partnership with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and work toward a more sustainable, prosperous and resilient future. SIDS are home to more than 50 million people. Their livelihoods and

By Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs; Secretary-General of the SIDS4 Conference As the curtains close on the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) it is time to hope for a brighter future for SIDS.  This gathering –  hosted with warmth and grace by the government and people of Antigua and Barbuda –  was attended by over 3,000 participants from around the globe, including heads of state and government, ministers,

Then, there’s the shadow pandemic, which is rapidly unraveling the limited, but precious, progress that the world has made toward gender equality in the past few decades. As summarized by a new UN report about COVID-19 and girls and women, this shadow pandemic can be seen in a spike in domestic violence as girls and women are sheltering-in-place with their abusers; the loss of employment for women who hold the majority of insecure, informal and